Why Many Dentists Are Going Into Cosmetic Dentistry

Cosmetic dentistry is incontestably one of the hottest specialties in dentistry at the moment. Most of the young dentists graduating from schools of dentistry are finding themselves greatly drawn to cosmetic dentistry, when considering specialties to go into. Even for those who don’t eventually end up in cosmetic dentistry, it usually at least one of the things they seriously consider. All this, of course, begs the question, to the critical thinker, as to why so many dentists are going into cosmetic dentistry.

You don’t have to look very far for answers to the question as to why so many dentists are going into cosmetic dentistry.

For one, if we are to be honest with ourselves, cosmetic-dentistry is one of the fields where the money really is. Nobody wants to get into a specialty where they will face real challenges getting ‘their daily bread’ – the interests of medicine notwithstanding. The economic allure of cosmetic dentistry is attributable to the great demand for the services the specialty offers today’s ‘image obsessed’ person. As we all know, from elementary economics is that when the services of a particular specialist rises, their pay rates are likely to go up too. Even where the pay rate does not increase in terms of margins charged, opportunity exists to make up in volumes: there are simply too many people looking for the services of the cosmetic dentist.

Second is the fact that cosmetic-dentistry is one of the fields in dentistry which gives one the opportunity to indulge their creative side. Dentistry, as indeed all fields of medicine, is a rather scientific field – and it is only in a few sub-fields, an instance of which is cosmetic dentistry, that a practitioner who is artistically inclined gets a way of practicing that artistry in bringing an end to human suffering. This is important for many aspiring dentists who find themselves torn between going for an artistic career or going for a scientific career, before finally opting for dentistry. In cosmetic dentistry, where dentistry meets art, these guys find a good compromise, where they can practice the artistry they forewent in favor of a scientific career.

Third is the fact that cosmetic-dentistry is one of the fields in medicine where a person gets an opportunity to truly and profoundly impact on their patients’ lives. Let’s face it: we are living in an extremely image-conscious society, where a person’s happiness (and to some extent, success) depends to a very large extent on their looks. People who happen to have the sorts of woes addressed by cosmetic-dentistry: from ‘colored’ teeth to misaligned teeth, are at a major disadvantage in many competing platforms. Many become extremely unhappy. With the help of a cosmetic dentist, of course, these people’s happiness can quite easily be restored. So we end up with a situation where a dental practitioner who thrives on restoring a smile to a person who had lost it can find the perfect (and rather literal) opportunity to do just that, in cosmetic dentistry. Hence the popularity of cosmetic dentistry among dental practitioners who want to impact where it matters most, and where results (to the patient) are often very immediate.